TROTZENDORF, Valentin. - Protestant pedagogue, whose real surname was Friedland, but who is known by that of T. from the town (now Troitschendorf, near Görlitz) where he was born on 14 Feb. 1490; he died at Liegnitz on 26 Aug. 1556.
He studied Greek and Latin at the University of Leipzig and theology at Wittenberg under Luther and Melanchthon, of whom he was always a staunch defender. In 1524 he was appointed rector of the school at Goldberg, which he directed, apart from brief intervals, until almost the time of his death, winning it a European reputation and attracting pupils from all nations. Melanchthon, admiring him, used to say that T. was made to direct colleges, just as Scipio Africanus was made to direct armies.
The school was divided into six classes and followed the humanist model; Latin was the only language spoken. The bold innovation of T., which is still used with success in various countries today, consisted in “governing the school through the pupils themselves,” organizing it on the model of the Roman Republic. He chose from among the older pupils “economi” who were to supervise order, discipline, and observance of the timetable; “ephors” who dealt with meals, assisted by “discofori,” who looked after the dishes; “quaestors,” one for each class, who supervised religious practices and school activities. At the head of the Republic stood T. as “dictator perpetuus,” who, however, shared government with a Senate composed of 12 consuls, 2 censors, and 12 senators, elected by him every month, who formed the tribunal for punishments. The spirit in the school was profoundly Christian and fraternal, with absolute equality among the different social classes. As for subjects, alongside religion and careful study of Latin, there were Greek, Hebrew, mathematics, astronomy, and music. Teaching norm: few and brief rules, practical examples, numerous exercises, few authors studied thoroughly rather than many seen superficially. Yet, despite all these excellent norms and arrangements, there were too many personal traits dependent on T.’s active and eminently organizational character, so that after his death the work did not endure. He nevertheless remains one of the most significant pedagogues of the 16th century. His principal works are: Cathechesis (Wittenberg 1558), a catechism in question and answer form; Rosarium (ibid. 1565), a collection of maxims drawn from the Bible with commentary; Praeactiones (ibid. 1564), a collection of prayers for morning and evening and for Sundays and feast days.
C. Celestino Testore